Britton recalled for bullpen depth

Drake Britton didn't get the start for Sunday's game against the Athletics. But he did get a promotion anyway.

By Tim Britton

Drake Britton didn't get the start for Sunday's game against the Athletics. But he did get a promotion anyway.

The 24-year-old left-hander was recalled on Sunday to join the Boston bullpen. Britton would be ready to in case of a short outing by Brandon Workman (unneeded, as it turns out), and may remain in the pen after the All-Star break.

"We felt like we needed to add another arm to the bullpen given the number of left-handers this lineup has," manager John Farrell said. "We felt like Drake was a good fit to give us a third lefty. It's also part of what we wanted to see with young internal pitchers, take a look at them in the early part of July here, the early part of this month. He comes to us having thrown the ball well of late and looking forward to getting his first out of the way here."

As recently as Saturday, Farrell has mentioned Britton as a pitcher he specifically wanted to see in the majors before the trade deadline.

"I found out yesterday, and it was awesome," said Britton. "I had the biggest smile on my face and no one could knock it off. I felt ready. I'm just excited to be here."

Britton has worked almost exclusively as a starter throughout his professional career. He owns just four relief appearances, and three of those came behind rehabbing big-leaguers.

"Ever since I signed and even in high school, I've always been a starter," said Britton. "But if it comes down to it and they would like to see me relieve, I will do it to the best of my ability. I feel like I can do OK out of the pen, too."

Britton has reached the majors four months after the lowlight of his career, when he was arrested for driving under the influence in spring training. The Red Sox sent him to minor-league camp the next day.

"It was very embarrassing. I'm extremely remorseful for bringing that negative attention, not only to myself but to the organization," Britton said. "It was a very big learning experience for me, and I've learned a lot. But now I'm just concentrating on making things right and back to focusing on baseball."

To make room for Britton, the Red Sox optioned Jackie Bradley, Jr. back to Pawtucket. Boston is now back to its usual alignment, with 13 position players and 12 pitchers.